


All Is Fair In Love And War

by TheSadisticMunchkin



Category: Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Supernatural
Genre: Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Crack, Decoration Wars, Destiel Christmas Minibang, Family Drama, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Forbidden Love, M/M, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romeo and Juliet References, Star-crossed, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dcminibang, how do i fucking tag this, its actually a really fucked up romeo and juliet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-06 16:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5424680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/TheSadisticMunchkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>Two households, both alike in stupidity,<br/>In fairly ordinary Kansas, where we lay our scene,<br/>From a petty old grudge break to new scrutiny,<br/>Where Christmas lights illuminate the leaves of green.<br/>From forth the literal ridiculousness of these two foes<br/>A pair of star-cross'd lovers cut the tension with a knife;<br/>whose actual logical actions and soft spoken woes<br/>Do away with their parents' perplexing strife.<br/>The obvious passage of their exasperated mark'd love,<br/>And the continuance of their parents' rage,<br/>Which, but their children's eye rolls, nought could remove,<br/>Is now the probably 30 minutes' traffic of this page;<br/>The which if you with bloodshot eyes attend,<br/>What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>He should have seen it coming. Maybe it was just something in his nature? He was always attracted to people who gave him a sense of danger of some sort. That was why he was a little surprised and delighted to find that he seemed to genuinely like Castiel, the sweetest and least dangerous person he ever met.</i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>Boy was he wrong.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	All Is Fair In Love And War

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lotrspnfangirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotrspnfangirl/gifts).



> This one is for Day 21 of my Destiel Christmas Minibang! Hope you enjoy this one!

  

            At first it was harmless. A little tweak here, a tiny adjustment there, nothing too drastic to warrant a fight. It was a friendly competition that occurred between two men who have known each other since college. They were practically best friends. Nothing could go wrong right?

 

            _Wrong._

 

            Once their children were born, that was when the real feud began. Chuck Novak loved his sons as much as John Winchester was indifferent to his. It wasn’t that John hated his sons. John could never actually hate his own offspring. Most of the time he was just disappointed in them but still wanted to get their approval on most things. It started with a simple question asked by Chuck Novak’s youngest son when he offered to babysit one time.

 

            “Our house is prettier than yours during Christmas.”

 

            The thorn to his side? His eldest son actually _agreed_. It hurt him not because this was his own son who blatantly said so but because this _was_ his son. His son was supposed to defend his own family even for something as petty as Christmas decorations. He spends 1000 bucks on Christmas decorations every year and the only acknowledgement he gets from his son was a shrug of a shoulder before he gets back to his picture book.

 

            Well. John Winchester thought long and hard on this. He wasn’t going to start being outdone by motherfucking Chuck Shurley Novak. Not today. _Not ever._

 

So he took the youngest Novak kid by the arm and walked him the few blocks to his house and told Chuck to not bring his kids to his house anymore. That was the start of a series of questions and answers where the manner of relaying either one to each other was through a very loud volume. A few shouts and insults later, Chuck Novak slammed the door in his former best friend’s face. Unfazed, John automatically walked towards the nearest bar.

 

            The sound of that door straining against its hinges, as it slammed shut was forever embedded in young Castiel’s mind.

 

            6-year-old Dean sat in the living room only a few blocks away wondering what he did wrong.

* * *

 

            **_23 years later_**

 

            Dean Winchester would like to officially call this his first ever chick flick moment.

 

            He wasn’t proud of the fact that he was immediately smitten. He doesn’t even know this guy’s name! All he knew is that he walked into his favored coffee shop that he has been going to for 5 years and saw the newest recruit. He was a dark haired man with eyes as blue as the tempestuous ocean on the stormiest of nights. He was so encapsulated by the mere presence of this man alone that he forgot how to order his drink. Fantastic. Now he thinks he’s a creep.

 

            “Earth to Dean Winchester! You’re gonna have to order something at some point, y’know!”

 

            Thankfully the piercing sound of Gabriel’s voice brought him back to reality and he tried very hard not to be distracted by this man again. Being a former literature major had its pros and cons. One of the very obvious cons was that once he saw something beautiful, his mind would start weaving through words a mile a minute. This man’s eyes and hand-combed hair? Definitely worth the paragraph palace building in his mind.

 

            “You know what I want, Gabe.”

 

            “Yeah but baby bro Cas here just got on the job. He needs to know your very pretentious order.”

 

            “It’s not bad to want quality lattes! Isn’t the customer always right?”

 

            “Not if the customer is a dick.”

 

            “Gabriel, can I just get his order now?” said Cas as his face flushed in embarrassment.

 

_Is that his voice? His voice so gravelly and deep like a well-tuned engine?_

 

            Damn it. He was doing it again.

 

            "Venti green tea latte, sugar free, vanilla, soy milk. I’d leave out the even more pretentious latte art for some other time.” Gabriel stuck his tongue out at his favorite customer and Dean stuck his middle finger up for good measure. Sometimes he can’t even figure out what his friendship with this guy was anymore. “You’re an asshole, Gabe.”

 

            “Only the best kind, Dean-o!”

 

            After he paid, one of Gabe’s cousins started to man the counter, as he wanted to teach his brother how to _specifically_ make Dean’s order. By this time, Dean’s hand was itching for a pen so he could get these words out of his mind and into paper. He sat down in the nearest armchair to the pick-up counter and took out his pencil case and one of his notebooks from his bag. He wrote a poem. Of course he wrote a poem. He hasn’t written a short story in a while but if his only inspiration were a pair of ridiculously blue eyes then the rest of the elements would be bland.

 

            A poem was a safe choice. A poem he can’t screw up.

 

            A latte, however, Cas is able to screw up. Big time.

 

            “Remember when you asked me if someone could get fired on their first day? _Well here’s your answer!”_ Dean winced as Gabriel practically stormed to the back room and left his little brother standing behind the counter with his apron stained with what he believed was his latte. Of course he didn’t expect the guy to be a master barista in a few hours. Cas seemed unfazed by the fact that he was fired as he handed his ruined apron to one of his cousins by the coffee machines.

 

            He ran a defeated hand through his hair before he got out from under the counter. His hair stood up in all directions after that action and Dean couldn’t help but stare. He walked over to the armchair next to his and started gathering the things he dumped there prior to his short-lived shift. He didn’t know what compelled him to do it but the next thing he knew he was standing in front of the man whom he made a poem about.

 

            “Hey there. Sorry you got fired on your first day.”

 

            Cas looked up from his bag and gave Dean a smile. Dean felt his heart _actually_ skip a beat. Like, that shit actually _happens_ in real life. _Holy shit._

 

            “Just to let you know, your order isn’t that pretentious. I think it’s pretty classy.”

 

            “But you still spilled it all over your apron.”

 

            “Well you can’t have it all, right? Samandriel is already fixing you up another one. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise because now I’m talking to you again.”

 

            Dean gave him a smile before ducking his head briefly to hide the blush because _holy shit_ is he hearing things right? Did Cas just say he _wanted_ to talk to him again? “Besides,” Cas gave him a warm smile in return. “I’m more of a tea person anyway.”

 

            “There’s a tea place a little ways out of town, you want to check it out with me?”

 

_Did I just ask him out on a date?_

 

            “I’d love to.”

 

_I fucking asked him out on a date._

 

            “O-Okay! My car’s just outside. You want to go now?” Cas nodded enthusiastically and grabbed his bag and coat from the chair beside him. Dean glanced at his own stuff now unattractively sprawled across the table and told Cas to meet him outside. After he gave him another one of those goddamn smiles of his, Cas went out of the coffee shop and promptly waited until Dean was finished.

 

            Dean definitely didn’t stare at his ass as he went out. Nope. He didn’t.

 

            “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

            Dean turned around faster than necessary and came face to face with Gabriel himself. “You’re making a huge mistake there, Dean-o.”

 

            “What? Can’t a guy ask a cute guy out for tea?”

 

            “First of all, you’re getting tea after you just came into my shop. Rude.” He jabbed his finger into Dean’s chest hard enough for Dean to be pushed back slightly. “Second of all, Castiel is my brother. My little brother. And you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

 

            “Look if you’re not going to be straightforward about what kind of fucking danger I’m putting myself in, them I’m just gonna assume it isn’t as bad.” Gabriel looked at him with the most serious expression he’s ever seen on him and that worried Dean a little. Gabe was a trickster by nature, a guy who never took things seriously. But when he looked back at the man with the finger combed hair standing outside of the coffee shop, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

            “You’ll regret this, Dean.” Gabe said to him with a sudden hand gripping his forearm.

 

            “Whatever.” Dean said sarcastically and forcefully pulled his arm out of Gabe’s hold. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I have a cute boy waiting outside for me. If you don’t mind?” It was obvious that Gabriel minded but damn it if he was going to let this guy ruin his fun. Not today. He shoved his things into his bag and slung it over his shoulder before walking out of the shop. “You can keep my pretentious coffee order, Gabriel.” Gabe continued to stand there with an almost pained expression on his face.

 

            Gabe gritted his teeth once he left and let out a puff of frustrated air.

 

            “Damn it, Dean. I’m a fucking Novak. _Castiel_ is a fucking Novak.”

* * *

 

            Castiel told him he was a fucking Novak.

 

            He should have seen it coming. Maybe it was just something in his nature? He was always attracted to people who gave him a sense of danger of some sort. That was why he was a little surprised and delighted to find that he seemed to genuinely like Castiel, the sweetest and least dangerous person he ever met.

 

            Boy was he wrong.

 

            “Well this just makes things a little bit awkward, doesn’t it?” Dean should have learned Gabriel’s last name _5 years ago when he met him._ How could he not know his last name for 5 years? What kind of dick friend was he?

 

            “Not for me.”

 

            Dean could only stare blankly at Castiel, his eyes wide and unfocused. “Look Dean, maybe you have forgotten our play dates as kids but I certainly didn’t…” Of course he remembered. He just didn’t properly remember because his father made him forget most of the time. The years after the incident when he was six? Suddenly, his dad was the most doting and loving father in existence. His better memories were the ones where he was with his dad and brother.

 

            None with Castiel or any of the Novaks. Well, there was Gabe but he wouldn’t exactly call that a “better memory.”

 

            “After we stopped playing together, my father sent me to a boarding school. Only after high school graduation did I come back home and saw what this idiotic, almost petty, decoration battle has become.”

 

            “I’d like to call it a decoration war. We once brought in Taylor Swift to serenade the neighborhood during the lighting.”

 

            “My point exactly. This entire thing is borderline ridiculous! I wasn’t even there for half of it.” Dean could practically feel the resentment emanating from his words and he couldn’t blame him for it. Cas has been dumped in a boarding school up until high school. Even after that, he went to study in UPenn for college. Basically, his entire life was spent away from the family who decided to bring this silly decoration debacle into a chaotic war of tinsel and middle fingers smelling of Evergreen leaves.

 

            “We’re still in rival families, Cas! Do you know what my father would do to me if he found out we were--” _Oh shit._ Castiel raised an eyebrow in question and Dean never felt a warmer blush creep up his neck.

 

            “We were what, Dean?”

 

            “Nothing! We’re nothing…” Dean slumped into his chair with a small huff and brought his mug of tea closer to his chest. Saying that somehow brought a little stab of pain to Dean’s heart. _We’re nothing._

 

            “I don’t think we’re nothing. In fact, I want _us_ to be something.” Dean almost spilled his tea in his lap when he said that. Did Cas actually say that? Did he really want them to be something? Just as he was about to speak, a sudden rush of conflicting emotions washed over him. How would his father react? How about Castiel’s father? Gabriel already warned him of the hardships that were to come if he walked out the coffee shop to go on that date with Castiel. Why didn’t he listen? Why didn’t he just walk away and never speak to Castiel ever again?

 

            He looked up at the boy with the blue eyes he wrote a poem for and he couldn’t bring himself to leave him behind. He already got himself into this future mess and if it were anyone _but_ Castiel by his side, he wouldn’t be that willing to clean it up. “I want us to be something too. _Fuck_ , do I want it.” He didn’t notice that Cas set aside their drinks in the table next to them and sat in front of him. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Cas’ warm palm on his cheek.

 

            “Then we’re going to have to be extra sneaky from now on.”

 

            “Only if you’re not a screamer.”

 

            Cas ducked his head a little and looked up at Dean through his eyelashes. Dean’s heart almost stopped at the gorgeous picture.

 

            “Don’t worry, I know when to use my mouth.”

* * *

            They meet at the Kansas Library in the restricted section every weekend.

 

            Within the week, they exchange sappy Skype messages like an 18th century couple in courting.

 

            In a few months, Castiel goes to Dean’s apartment instead of the Library.

 

            It’s bliss as they have their little adventures, ducking in and out of alleyways to avoid getting caught by one of Castiel’s many older brothers. Their hearts beat in tandem when they lie naked next to each other in Dean’s apartment. Their fingers intertwine as Dean pulls Castiel into a slow, languid kiss that lasts for hours in their minds. Their eyes meet and their souls converse in silence for what seems like the rest of the night. Their foreheads touch as the sun casts a soft glow on each other’s delicate features.

 

            In the morning Castiel sneaks out of the apartment through the fire escape, always chasing after Dean’s final, lingering kiss as he does so.

 

            The afternoon of December 20th, it isn’t just the two of them in on their secret anymore.

* * *

 

            “Can someone explain to me why there is a naked man on my brother’s bed a week before Christmas and he didn’t bother to inform _me?_ ”

 

            “Sam I need you to calm down--”

 

            “Calm down? _Calm down?_ I tell you all about _my_ crushes and relationships! This feels like betrayal!”

 

            “Well actually--”

 

            “And how long have you two been together? A week? A month?”

 

            “Three months…”

 

            _“Unbelievable!”_

 

            “Samuel Winchester, _listen to me!”_ That seemed to effectively shut him up. Dean was too afraid and nervous to even think about laughing at Sam’s ridiculous expression right now. He was caught. _They_ were caught. He didn’t know how Sam would react to finding out that Castiel was actually a Novak. From his reaction to just seeing him _with_ a boy, he was hoping it would be less severe. “I need you to sit on that couch, count to ten, and then wait until I finish talking before you say anything else.”

 

            Thankfully, Sam did just that. After waiting for 11 seconds, Dean sat in front of him and started to talk. If there was one thing Sam was good at, it was keeping a straight face as all this information was being pounded on him all of a sudden. It took Dean another 10 minutes to explain the current situation at hand and once he finished, all he had to do was wait for Sam’s response.

 

            He didn’t respond for 2 minutes exactly.

 

            This was particularly nerve-wracking because a) this was his brother and b) he fucking loved his brother. He cared more about what his brother would say about this strange turn of events rather than his own father. If he couldn’t get Sam’s blessing then how else was he going to go about his life? Was he going to continue to sneak around with Cas until they were in their late thirties? Was he going to end up eloping with him in a small ocean-side ceremony in Santa Monica?

 

            “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

 

            “Because Cas is a Novak, Sam!”

 

            “I couldn’t give less of a fuck if Castiel was the president of the United States. Dean, this Novak-Winchester Decoration War has gotten out of hand. Heck, it got out of hand when we hired Taylor Swift to perform a Christmas Medley before we unveiled our over-the-top decorations…”

 

            “Maybe I should date Sam instead.” Teased Cas from behind Dean and the older Winchester in the room fought a losing battle with the blush crawling up his neck. Thankfully, Cas had the decency to put some pants on. Dean, in all his good graces, glared at his boyfriend from over his shoulder and the guy just wrapped his arms around him in response. Piece of shit.

 

            “Besides Dean, I think it’s time to end this once and for all. Frankly, I’m getting tired of having to shape fairy lights and tinsel into complicated shapes every year.” Dean could practically feel the exhaustion from his words and he couldn’t blame him.

 

            Honestly Dean was too tired to argue anymore. He just wanted to hold hands with Cas in public and tell people that he was Castiel’s. Was that too much to ask?

 

            “So Sam, it’s nice to meet you!” Cas reached his hand out for Sam to shake and judging by the approving look on his face, he already liked him. “How do you propose we tell our parents about this admittedly Shakespearean tragedy?” Oh Sam _definitely_ liked him now. Literature usually got his little brother eating out of the palm of anyone’s hand.

 

            “Well we have to make sure this doesn’t become a tragedy. Dad gets off of work by tomorrow.”

* * *

 

            It almost became a tragedy on the 21st of December.

 

            It was quite a funny picture with both their fathers on each side of the room, their hands thrown to the sides in an attempt to look protective. What looked even more comical was that Chuck Novak was barely 5’3. All of his children tower over him by an entire foot’s worth yet here he was with his arms spread wide like he was pushing them away from a rabid dog. Dean knew this was a serious situation but he couldn’t help but feel that he was in a sitcom.

 

            He might as well have been in a sitcom for 23 years.

 

            “You’ve been secretly dating?” asked his father with a look that warned him that he was one breath short of a heart attack.

 

            “For three months, dad.”

 

            “ _You’ve been dating a Novak for three months?”_

 

“And I’ve been friends with one for 5 years. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed that by now.”

 

            “That friend would have to be me!” At least Gabe was on their side. Technically he wasn’t on a _side_ in particular. He was in the middle of their parents, using his body as a buffer. This was the reason why he wished he learned Gabriel’s last name sooner. _Much_ sooner. “C’mon dad!” Gabe turned to his father with probably the most serious expression he’s ever seen. Of course Dean already witnessed it but it was such a surprise to their family that it made Chuck’s eyes widen.

 

            “Don’t you think this is getting really fucking childish? Sometimes I wonder who’s the real adult in this dysfunctional family of ours! You think you’re such a good dad? You sent little Castiel, my sweet little brother, to a boarding school for 12 years because he said something that upset _your_ former best friend. Have you even talked it out with each other? Like face to face without screaming at each other?”

 

            Silence.

 

            “Only when your children are angry are you finally listening? Aren’t you tired?”

 

            “Gabriel, you can stop now…” There was fire in Gabe’s eyes and Castiel was getting scared. He never saw him this way before. Maybe it was because he was just as tired as everyone else about this stupid feud. “Let me handle this. It’s my fault anyway that I fell in love with a Winchester.”

 

            “Wait you’re in love with me?”

 

            A different kind of silence filled the air but Dean couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

            Suddenly Castiel’s eyes were more than just an ocean. Castiel was more than his hands that sent spark of pleasure to his skin every night. Castiel was more than just the finger-combed hair and tongue sticking out of his mouth when he writes. Castiel wasn’t this man he decided to go on a date with when he messed up his coffee order. Castiel was now the man he is hopelessly and stupidly in love with.

 

            “Of course I’m in love with you Dean.” Castiel ducked from underneath Chuck’s arms and for the first time, Chuck didn’t stop him. Instead, both fathers lowered their arms as they watched their two sons meet each other in the middle. Gabe was still there but he knew to step back when Dean held his arms out for a hug. The dark haired man fell into the familiar warmth of his arms and clutched the dark green fabric of his sweater in his hands. “I don’t know why I’m in love with you but I am.”

 

            “Me neither, angel.”

 

            “Am I crying?”

 

            Dean pulled away slightly to smile at the tears shining in Castiel’s eyes. They really were the tempestuous ocean on the stormiest of nights. This time though, the storm was calm. The waves were flowing freely and Dean has never seen anything more beautiful. Dean wanted nothing more than to drown in them forever. “Yes, babe and you’ve never looked lovelier.”

 

            “Oh my god tear these two apart,” said Gabe from behind them and Cas buried his head in Dean’s neck in embarrassment. Dean could only laugh as Cas’ body shook with giggles. His breath lightly tickled his neck and he didn’t care that they were probably the only ones laughing in the room. The two didn’t notice their fathers looking at each other from across the room and nodding simultaneously. They didn’t notice Sam go over to Gabe and extend a hand to him in friendship. They didn’t notice Gabe throwing himself at him and giving him a huge hug instead.

 

            They didn’t notice that they ended their feud within the few seconds they were in each other’s arms.

* * *

**_2 years later_ **

 

            “Honey, have you seen the rest of our decorations?”

 

            “It’s in the box underneath our bed.”

 

            “The one next to your collection of antique ornaments?”

 

_“They could cost a fortune one day!”_

 

            “Don’t get your tinsel in a twist, honey.”

 

            Dean could only flip his fiancé the middle finger and he only got a handful of popcorn thrown at his face. “I’ll be right back with the tinsel.”

 

            “Don’t come back unless you do!”

 

            Cas rolled his eyes and got ready to slide across the wooden floor in his fuzzy socks. As he successfully stopped in front of their bedroom, he heard Dean shout out sarcastically. “8/10! You need to put a little more gracefulness in it!” Cas didn’t even bother arguing. He unsuccessfully slid another time into the room but Dean didn’t need to know that. His fiancé did not need to know that he tripped on the carpet at the foot of their bed. He wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.

 

            He knelt down and pulled the box of decorations from underneath the bed. When it was fully out, he noticed that this wasn’t opened yet. There was still tape on the flaps and a phrase in blocky handwriting was scrawled on one of the flaps. **_Your Engagement Gift, assholes._** Cas wanted to bet that it was Gabriel who gave them this. He didn’t notice Dean enter the room until he was sitting right next to him, his legs crossed and an arm around his shoulders. “Well? Aren’t you going to open it?” Cas jumped but relaxed when he saw Dean’s smiling face. He held up a cutter and Cas took it graciously.

 

            Sitting inside the now freshly opened box were their old Christmas decorations from 2 years ago.

 

            Cas recognized them as the last remnants of the final decoration war.

 

            “Are these?”

 

            “They are.”

 

            “Wow…” Cas carefully took out glass angel ornaments wrapped in bubble wrap; hand carved wooden ornaments from Europe, and several feet of tinsel. “Looks like we’ve got tinsel for the next few years.” Cas joked as he placed the final foot of tinsel in Dean’s lap. Dean wrapped it around his neck in a makeshift scarf while Cas took out a few more ornaments that were probably older than they were. Shiny ornaments, dusty ornaments, ornaments from the thrift shop, and some of those rare ornaments from jewelry stores in New York were neatly piled up at their feet.

 

            At the bottom of the box, there sat a small post-it note. Dean took it out and read it aloud to his fiancé. “ _May these trinkets remind you of the war you ended and the future you will now have. Merry Christmas, boys. See you on New Year’s Eve. With Love from Chuck and John._ Our dads put this together for us.” Cas found himself absentmindedly stroking one of the glass angel ornaments’ wings. It brought him so much joy that their parents are finally friends again. It’s everything he has ever wanted ever since he was shipped to boarding school all those years ago.

 

            “You know what that means, babe?”

 

            “What?”

 

            “Twice as much decorations for the tree!” Dean jumped to his feet in excitement and Cas could do nothing but look up at his child of a fiancé in amusement. “C’mon! I’ve never had this much tinsel for myself! My dad never let me even touch the tinsel when I was little. I was only in charge of the star on top of the tree. Or stringing the popcorn.” With the pout settling on Dean’s lips, how could Cas not laugh at him?

 

            Castiel watched as his fiancé, and the tinsel scarf he had on dragging against the floor, ran out of the room with a joyous whoop. He looked back at the pile of ornaments, fragments of a time so silly, ridiculous and downright hilarious, and smiled. He was glad it ended the way it did. He was glad he was now able to hold Dean and kiss him without the fear of their parents finding out. He was glad that he could finally celebrate Christmas once again.

 

**_A merry peace this morning with it brings;_ **

**_The sun for winter will not show his head._ **

**_Go hence to have more talk of these Christmas things,_ **

**_Some shall be drinking and some wrapping gifts,_ **

**_For never was a story which cast a fine spell_ **

**_Than that of Dean and Castiel_ **


End file.
